DIY: How to Install Groutable Vinyl Floor Tile

January 9, 2012

Did you know that you can grout peel-and-stick vinyl tiles to look JUST LIKE ceramic tile?
You CAN and here’s how…

One of the presents for my parents for Christmas was to install a new floor in their foyer. I know a little strange for a present, but it’s what they wanted and needed, so I delivered. They had looked into having this 40 square foot space retiled using ceramic, but with estimates by professionals for over $1000, it wasn’t how they wanted to spend their money. In doing some research and hunting around for floor options for my own foyer (which I intend to redo soon), I found some really nice looking vinyl tile (yes the “peel and stick” kind) that you can actually grout to achieve a VERY similar look to ceramic tile, but at a fraction of the cost.

Duration of Project: 4 hours for a 40 square foot spaceProject Difficulty: Easy to Medium – It wasn’t a difficult project and you really don’t need to have prior skills, but it is tiring being on your knees for an extensive period of time.How Many People Needed: 1 – I completed this project by myself, but a helper on any project is better.

The “before” tile in their mudroom was a 6 x 6 black ceramic. The condition of the existing floor was very good, so I did not feel that there was a need to remove it and instead installed the new vinyl tile directly on top. (If your floor is uneven, I would recommend removing it and starting with a new subfloor.)

After a good cleaning (by my mom – I can’t take the credit on this one), I was ready to get started.

I first began by doing a dry lay of how the floor would look. With the two layout possibilities – straight or brick – we decided on a brick layout, which looked best in the space.

In the past, when reading instructions on how-to-lay-tile, the rule of thumb was to start in the center of the room – well I disagree. I think it really depends on the space and your desired layout. Yes, it may be good to start in the center of a room if the space is square or rectangular, but many spaces aren’t. I think it’s best to lay out the tile how you feel it will be best suited for the space. For this foyer, I decided to start in the corner, where the tile and wood meet, so you would see a full tile (not cut) at the transition.

Laying the Vinyl Tile

1. Start by peeling off part of the backing from the tile.

2. Lay it on the floor in the designated spot.

3. Once the edge is in place and stuck down on the surface, peel off the remainder of the paper backing.

5. Unlike ceramic tile, it’s important that the peel-and-stick vinyl adheres to the surface below, so either walk on it ALOT or use a floor roller (a rolling pin could work too). Like my socks??

There is going to come a point where you’ll need to make some cuts to fit the vinyl flooring. Unlike the dreaded cuts with ceramic tile, cutting groutable vinyl tiles is fairly easy.

Cutting Vinyl Flooring

1. Using a pencil and ruler, determine where your cut is going to be and draw a line.

2. Then score the vinyl tile 2-3 times with a sharp construction blade or sheetrock knife (YOU DO NOT NEED TO PENETRATE THROUGH THE TILE – Keep Reading)

3. After scoring the vinyl tile, it should snap with ease and your straight cut piece will be read to lay.

Once the floor is complete, you are ready to grout IMMEDIATELY! This is one of the best parts about using groutable vinyl tile!

One more step before grouting…

4. As not to ruin the baseboard or the wall with grout, tape it off using painters tape. After the grout has been applied to the floor, you will peel it off BEFORE IT DRIES.

Now it’s time to GROUT!

How to Grout Vinyl Tile

Is grouting vinyl tile different than grouting ceramic tile? NOPE, it’s exactly the same, except you should use grout made for vinyl tile. I used pre-mixed grout made by Precision Components which I found in Home Depot in the same section as the groutable vinyl tiles. This premixed sanded acrylic grout has “good flexural strength and adhesion” and is recommended to use over traditional cement grouts. *THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT*

Either way will work. Whichever method you choose, you will apply the grout, then using a tile sponge (one side has a sponge, the other side is abrasive), wipe the grout and haze away. You will need to continue wiping the haze away a few more times over the following 24 hours.

Always start in the corner of the space, so you can work your way out of the room. And always work in small sections at a time.

And then you’re groutable vinyl tile surface is complete! Just as with ceramic tile, don’t walk on the surface for at least 24 hours so the grout has enough time to dry.

Here is a closeup…

What a difference. Take another look at the before and after…

I thought it would be helpful to share some Pros and Cons to groutable vinyl tile, and how it compares to ceramic tile. And please feel free to email me with any questions.

Groutable Vinyl Tile PROS and CONS

Affordable – This 40 sq. ft. space was fairly inexpensive. The tiles which I purchased from Lowe’s were $1.08 and the premixed grout (which I only used half of) cost $7. The total cost of the entire project was about $65. Ceramic tile is available in a range of prices, but usually starts at $2 per sq. ft. , so the savings right there is 50%.

No Experience Required – Yes, I have tiled before, but I do not feel that this project was difficult at all. I think a person with little experience can complete this project with ease. Measuring and cutting is really the most difficult part of the project, so take your time and measure correctly! Installing ceramic tile is not difficult, but it is tricky and experience is helpful. Cutting ceramic tile can often be difficult and time consuming. For prior ceramic tile projects, I’ve used tile snips, a tile cutter, and a wet saw. A wet saw is the best for cutting ceramic tile, but it’s not easy – I’ve made alot of mistakes. In my estimation, ceramic tile would take about double the time for installation compared to installing groutable vinyl tile.

Grout Right Away – Immediately after you install the groutable vinyl tiles, you can start the grouting process. This makes the entire process possible to complete in one day. With ceramic tile, after you finish laying it, you have to let the adhesive dry for 24 hours before grouting, which results in a 2 day project, so essential ceramic tile takes double the time.

Availibility and Selection – I purchased this groutable vinyl tile at Lowe’s, but other home improvement stores also offer similar products. The selection is not as vast as ceramic tile (which is a con), but I was surprised by the wide range of colors and textures. When I was at the store making my purchase, I was told by a sales rep that any peel-and-stick vinyl tile is groutable, except for the styles that have the faux grout look around the edge. I don’t know if this is true or not, but it’s what I was told.

Since groutable vinyl tile takes no experience, is half the cost, and takes half the time, what will use for your next tile project?

Thankfully my parents are very pleased! Now I can’t wait to get started on my foyer floor, except it’s about 4x the size and will take alot more time and manpower. If you want to take a look at the layout, you can see and read about it {here}.

I’m so excited to see this! In a few months we’ll be transferred to a very high cost of living area. In scouting out houses not only will be get half the house for double the cost… but we’ll be getting old homes in need of some updating to say the least. I was thinking about the peel in stick tile… I had no idea it could be grouted and look so good! What a relief! Question… can you see the imprint of the original tile below or do you think after time it might start to show through?

Hi Tys, Thanks so much for the kind comment! Where are you going to be moving to? Even though the home you potentially will be buying may need some TLC, using some strategic planning and do-it-yourself projects, will really save on $$$. You do NOT see the original tile underneath and I don’t think you ever will because the tile is quite thick. It may happen with thinner, really cheap vinyl tile, but not with this. Good Luck! xo Jenna

That looks fantastic! I love groutable vinyl tile. I’ve used it throughout my entire condo (except I still have lots of areas that need to be grouted…and yes, it’s been a year *hanging head in shame*). But I definitely love how easy it is. And it’s incredibly durable!

I am attempting this in my bath and kitchen – but at the direction/suggestion of the man at the home improvement store we busted up the ceramic tile. A very messy and dusty process – and the floor required a lot of sanding….. Did you fill in your grout to ensure the surface was completely smooth prior to installation? The vinyl doesn’t show thelines of the original ceramic tile? Tis looks much easier for my kitchen but I was afraid the ceraic tile/grout were not smooth enough for the vinyl?

Yes, taking up a floor is very messy and dusty. If the the floor was level and in good condition, it might not have been necessary. I did not fill in the grout lines on the existing floor. Check out this comment by a flooring expert – this might help: I work in the floor industry and sometimes DIY jobs do not turn out so nice. just two notes about the tiles, these are considered Luxury Vinyl Tiles, not all peel-n-stick tiles are the same or even groutable. the other is if you are installing over another floor, not plywood, please put down some type of leveler or smooth base. It can telegraph up over time, no matter how thick and the other thing that may happen is the seal will not be as strong and it could cause it to come up or crack due to a flex point.

I have to say you did a wonderful job on the tile work. I work in the floor industry and sometimes DIY jobs do not turn out so nice. just two notes about the tiles, these are considered Luxury Vinyl Tiles, not all peel-n-stick tiles are the same or even groutable. the other is if you are installing over another floor, not plywood, please put down some type of leveler or smooth base. It can telegraph up over time, no matter how thick and the other thing that may happen is the seal will not be as strong and it could cause it to come up or crack due to a flex point. Great job!! and I love your blog

Great to know Laura, thanks for the information! I think when homeowners (myself included) go to these big name home improvement stores, they aren’t always getting accurate information from sales associates. I was told any tile could be groutable – obviously I’m wrong. Great information about using a leveler / smooth base. Can you recommend what to use? If you don’t mind, I’d like to add your comment into the article. Thanks again, Jenna

Thanks but I’m no expert, just seen a few things working in the industry that I want to pass on to people. I know about the big box stores, been there done that on many projects (especially having Mr. Fix-it husband) As far as a leveler, in the store we use a product called Ardex Feather Finish, it is a really good product but you do have to go to floor store to get it. There are three really nice DIY luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) out there, they are made by Armstrong, Mannington and Congoloeum that are groutable (plus on two of those the grout comes in tubes you use like caulk). The biggest tip I can tell ya about the peel/stick tiles is to make sure you roll them, rent, beg, borrow or steal a 100lb. roller and roll the devil out of it, that give it a good seal and it won’t come up then. Have fun and again you did a very nice job on the floor.

This looks fabulous! I had NO IDEA you could grout vinyl tile! In my apartment, I installed the fake-grout vinyl tile, and over time, the “grout” got yucky and was hard to clean. This is genius. Thank you for sharing!

GREAT tutorial! I wish I had seen this last year when I paid $1K to re-tile a kitchen! (Which was chip & eroded by a renter in a wheelchair). I would love a followup to let us know how the vinyl cleans up & holds up!

Thank you so much for posting this. I have purchased the light marble look with the gray grout from Lowes for my bathroom, but I have been very apprehensive about keeping and installing it. We purchased a different brand of the luxury vinyl tile a few years ago for our other bathroom, but we did not grout it, as the grout was not sold by the store at the time. However, the tile we did put down is a wonderful quality that we are very pleased with. I would not hesitate to use the good quality vinyl tiles now and after reading your post you have answered alot of questions I had. I will use the grout this time. We have a very old house with wood floors and I do not want to go to the expense of ceramic tile only to have it crack. Thank you.

Great job! Interested in doing this to our laundry room that has “hospital white” ceramic. My concern is that it butts up to hardwood and I don’t plan on removing the existing floor. How did your edge come out? Was there a large step up?

The groutable vinyl is fairly thin, so in my situation, there was so no “step”. Adding the tile added only a few centimeters (versus a ceramic tile which is often 1/4″ thick) to the existing floor and now the tile to wood transition is seamless. If you do have a slight level transition, you can add a threshold (something small). At the big box stores, they sell metal or wood thresholds for flooring transitions. I hope that helps! -Jenna

I think as a backsplash it would be okay. I added the groutable vinyl to the toe kick of my bathroom vanity and it’s been fine. You may want to add alittle extra adhesive on the back of the tile before adhering it to the surface for a better adhesion. Good Luck! Jenna

It’s possible to lay the new floor directly on top, but you need to make sure your current floor is in good condition with no cracks or missing tiles. If you have any question about the current floor, I would take it up and start with a new subfloor. -Jenna

I am doing this over my hardwood oak floors. We are currently remodeling and moving my kitchen to my dining room. There was carpet in there and we found the oak floors underneath but as for my kitchen I don’t want the oak flooring. It has been stained but would need to be refinished and and some replaced where we removed a wall. We have put a like a 2×4 down where the wall was. Would we need to put anything down before pealing and sticking the vinyl tile to it??

That’s really difficult to say without seeing the condition of the floor. The wood floor should really be in good condition without any bumps or deep scratches to put the tile directly on top. The tile really needs a flat, solid surface to stick to. If the floor is uneven, the tile might not stick, so you will want to put down a flat sub-floor first. let me know if this helps. -Jenna

Hi Jenna,
My husband and I are renovating our WAY outdated kitchen… the new cabinets are in, the walls are painted and now we are ready to do the floors. We fell in love with the look and price of peel and stick vinyl tiles. We purchased 18″ tiles as the space we need to do is quite large (kitchen and adjoining eating area). My question to you is – can we do 1/4″ grout? Seems all the websites say 1/8″ and we didn’t see anywhere that you can’t do larger… Because of the size of the tiles, I thought a bigger grout line would look better. Would really value your imput. Thanks so much – and thanks for the nice step by step pictures you provided of your parent’s floor. It looks fantastic. We have already done a ‘dry fit’ and decided the brick pattern would look best for our area also! Thanks again,
Judy & Jim

Hi Judy, Thanks so much for reaching out to me and I’m excited that you are venturing forward with this DIY project. With regard to your question about grout size, I would NOT make the grout size any larger than 1/8″ spacing. Even though you are using larger tiles, it does not mean you need a larger grout join. 1/4″ grout joints are quite wide and I truly prefer the largest grout joint to 1/8″. This is just my opinion, of course, on what I’ve used for my tile installations. Please let me know what you decide to do and the result of your floor installation! -Jenna

I just went on a kitchen home tour recently and one kitchen had 18″ tiles with 1/8″ grout lines and it looked superb, so I would agree not to go any wider. Putting floor leveling compound over tile and sheets of 1/4″ plywood over wood floors will make sure you have a smooth surface for the vinyl tile. It will raise the floor level a bit more than just the vinyl tile (I think you meant millimeters, not centimeters, Jenna — a few centimeters would be much more than 1/4″).

Hi,
We have had our luxury vinyl tile with acrylic groyut or 8 months. The grout has begun to pull away from the tile and crack along the edges. The installers came and grouted over the existing grout not knowing if this will solve our problem. Bad hazing following grouting on the tile. This grout dries in 3-8 min so if all is not cleaned up right away it will never come off. Can you tell me what has caused the cracking along the edges? Very disappointed!

Well that’s upsetting, Wendy! Grout dries fast, but I’ve never had a grout dry in 3-8 minutes – that’s crazy. The cracking might have resulted from an uneven subfloor underneath the tile that you layed. It probably would have happened to ceramic tile as well, and probably worse. I feel that the groutable vinyl is a less rigid, so there is alittle more flexibility with traffic. Sorry to hear you didn’t have a good result.

As someone who works with floors on a daily deal (I work in a flooring store). An Acrylic grout could dry that fast but typical that type of grout comes in a tube is “caulked” in and all they do is take a tool and compress it in the lines and it is not washed up like a traditional sanded grout. As for the cracking if there is any flexiable in the subfloor, ie gaps between the tiles and the subfloor, then your grout will crack and pull away from your tiles, it would not matter if it is a LVT tile or ceramic. Also if they are not using the approiate grout for the product then it could shrink and pull away. Each one of these LVT’s have their own grout and they are not interchangable. One of the most major things to consider in installation of any tile, LVT or ceramic, is if your floor is level, if it is not then you have to make it level. That means if you are putting down over the top of an existing floor and have any kind of texture you need to either put down ply subfloor or a leveling compound, if you do not you are courting failure. As far as grout lines go, smaller is better. Grout is there as a support to your tile and a supporting character to the look of your floor. You do not want it to draw attention or distract from you beautiful floor. Again this is just my two cents, take it for what it worth or not. Laura D.

I just installed peel-n-stick vinyl tile over old sheet vinyl in our downstairs bathroom. I have also installed it in previous homes in the kitchen, entry, office and pantry floor.

Each time, I found I got great results by carefully removing the baseboards first. If you do this, you won’t have to tape off when (if) you grout, and then re-installing the baseboards is easy and you get a really professional look.

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Looks like it has been in for some months now. How is it holding up, are you having trouble with the grout coming out or cracking at all? I have seen people complain about this in some older posts but I am unable to determine if they used normal grout for ceramic tile, or the grout that was specifically designed for this application. I think when the groutable tile was first launched the stores didn’t have the proper grout in stock, and I am curious about the performance of the grout that is designed for this application. It seems to me anyway early on that even the “pros” were attempting to use ordinary grout.

Hi Fred, The floor is holding up great and there has been no cracking or issues at all – thankfully! I think it’s very important to use the RIGHT grout for the specific tile and not a typical sanded grout for ceramic tile. With all the questions and comments about this flooring, I think I’m going to do a follow up post about this – stay tuned! -Jenna

You mentioned “the two layout possibilities, straight or brick” but we just did our tile, and thinking those were the only two options, I was dismayed, I didn’t care for the look of either, and we were laying expensive porcelain tiles. A family friend came in one day as I was staring at tiles in the two layouts in our narrow hallway, he said, “go corner to corner” and proceeded to lay out the tile in diamonds point to point. So much better! I absolutely love my floor and my parents, hardcore for hardwood, even think of tile as a sturdy alternative flooring option!

Yes, diagonal is another pattern possibilty to layout tile. In the post, I meant that straight and brick were the two options for MY floor. There are alot others to choice from though. So glad you love your new floor. xo Jenna

To remove the haze, repeat the process of washing off the surface with a clean, damp sponge until the tile it’s gritty from the grout any longer. To seal the grout joints, use a grout sealer which you can purchase at any home improvement store or hardware store. Good Luck! -Jenna

What happens if you do not use a leveler agent and place tiles on uneven surfaces is it flexs in 8)rose areas and causes micro or macro breaks in your grout lines wiring let moisture in and mold and rot

i know this is months later, but i just wanted to say ::
1) that looks fantastic
2) the only vinyl tiles that are groutable are the thicker variety (sometimes called “luxury” or more often “resilient”). the super cheap ones that are thin will not hold grout, and in fact are not designed to be used with it. if you use grout with the cheap tiles, it’ll just crack and pop right out.

This is so amazing. Your floor now looks so great. I also love the color. The old dark blue hue is a little bit dull while the new look is so catchy. Thank you for sharing these instructions. You really made it look so easy. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks for posting this, I saw the tiles that you can grout in Lowes and wondered what I could find to do with them, im gonna attempt to do a kitchen backsplash with them and the grout but I will need to cut the tiles into 6×2 rectangles since I want the subway tile look, I think this will be much easier than ceramic since I have windows and whatnot to cut around and it should be easy to clean and since im not wealthy it will be easy on the budget. I hope they are easy to cut because it will be alot of cutting haha. Thanks again for posting this it was helpful.

Reading this all I could think about is how tragic it is that you covered up that gorgeous tile with unattractive linoleum that is going to look so dated (already does to me). That tile they had was classic and timeless. I wish as a country and as individuals we would just learn to love the charm of classic materials and stop covering everything in plastics (carpets and vinyl). But certainly everyone has the right to cover everything they own in plastic and it does look like you did a good job.

Thank you for you posts. Love your website. You helped make it possible to replace our peeling, cracking old peel and stick to lovely grouted LVT. My husband, father-in-law and I reviewed your tips. All we have to do is seal the grout and we are finished. I will post again if any problems come up.

You are so brave. That’s where my company started. I started by doing the tile installation in my kitchen because I have no extra money for company services and then I got the idea of making a business out of it. Great post!

Is it possible to grout adhesive tiled style floors over preexsisting vinyl floor? We have a bathroom in our new home that has horrible pattered vinyl flooring . The adhesive groutable flooring sounds like it would be perfect for this project.

Hi I was wondering if you have any tips for getting the glue off the tiles. Apparently I am a bit messy and tend to get some of the glue backing on my fingers then on the front of the tiles. I do not want to ruin the finish on the tiles removing the glue residue. What do you recommend?

Thanks for the speedy reply Jenna. I have a couple of options, but seeing as this would be installed on a second floor, I really like that these won’t be nearly as heavy as ceramic, porcelain, or stone tiles. I have considered wood or laminate, but the whole bottom floor is already done in a medium tone laminate that is not exactly my 1st choice, but looks good enough that I don’t want to rip it up . The white travertine would coordinate well and it so realistic looking that I am drawn to it every time I see it at Lowes. Price is definitely a plus. I know I will have to do some leveling (honestly I am afraid of what else I might find when I pull up the hideous carpet – suspecting I may have to replace some floor boards in a few areas, but I am up for the challenge just to get rid of the carpet!) Thanks for the reply and inspiration!

Just a tip I’d like to pass along that I figured out when I was almost done (figures right) I was having trouble with how much grout came up when I went to wipe it up. It didn’t seem to matter how long I waited and I was really making an effort to wring the sponge dry. So when I got down to the last six feet, I pulled out a plastic three inch wide scraper (Most kitchen supply places carry them) first I took my sponge over the grout just a couple of swipes to get it moist again, then I used the scraper, since it’s plastic no harm was done to the tiles and it left all the grout where in the seams where it needs to be. Also a lot less work sponging off the tile AND my water didn’t get dirty so fast.

Anyway although I didn’t figure this out until the end of my kitchen project I am a hallway and bathroom still to do and you can bet this is what I will be doing. Hope this tip helps you all

Hey I was wondering since its been over a year now, how have these held up? We have a very large kitchen with ceramic tile that is ugly, but my husband will not do the work of tearing it up and then having to re-cut the new tile, since we did it already in our last house. So I am looking for an easier option that will be durable. I have 3 small kids, and have tiled before.

If you are putting down new flooring then you should consider luxury vinyl tile. You are going to see that it will be very easy to create the look and feel that you are searching for at a great price if you go with this type of tile. This is not nearly as expensive as if you are to use granite flooring and this will also be a lot cheaper than carpets in many cases.

Hi Jenna!
Just came across your post and looooove this! Just had one question about grouting these vinyl floor tiles.. You didn’t mention needing to seal the grout. How does this hold up over time when cleaning the floor? Does the grout bleach out over time or are you using a specific type of cleaning product? Thanks for your help! Will be attempting this within the next couple of weeks!

Hi Kelly, Thanks for reaching out and for the kind comments! I actually didn’t seal the grout lines. They are kind of a muddy / taupe color and I didn’t think it was necessary. It’s held up great and the grout color has stayed the same consistently throughout the floor – in high traffic areas and not. That being said, if you feel more comfortable with sealing the grout, go for it! Be sure to ask what sealer is best for this type of grout since it’s specifically made for LVT. Good Luck! Jenna

Now I’m even more excited to lay the floor for my new laundry room!! I have used peel and stick vinyl in the past and have been happy enough with the results but last night was surfing through the Lowes online selections and saw a tile I really like and it said it was groutable and I knew I wanted to go that route. The new laundry room is in our garage where I built a new raised room (to meet the rest of the house) over concrete. While the floor is now insulated and the walls are getting insulated as I build them and we’ll be drywalling, it’s still likely to be a little cold out there so I knew ceramic tile would not be a good choice. Plus, for reasons I won’t go into, the floor is already almost level with the inside of the house so I can’t add that much more to the floor without it getting weird. I have a great white marble tile picked out so it looks clean and fresh in there but I’ll be grouting with a grey grout. I was wondering about how to space them evenly and it looks like you used standard tile spacers, yes? I can do that, I have a huge bag of them (I’m so frugal that I saved all the ones from my bathroom tiling project with regular tile). I love how you laid out the tiles too, I think I’ll have to follow suit unless I do a diamond pattern but I think your way would be easier but still have the visual interest I was worried I wouldn’t get with the basic layout.

I am in the process of renovating my kitchen myself. I chose groutable vinyl tile because I’m doing all the work myself. The house is over 100 years old. None of the walls were straight. Even the cabinets on two sides of the room weren’t parallel to each other. I’m glad I set out the tiles before I stuck them down. Straight rows and brick pattern made it look as though the tiles were crooked because the walls and cabinets are so skewed. I opted for a diamond pattern. It was much more time consuming, but it looks awesome. I’ll grout tomorrow. I’ve heard that I should use silicone caulk rather than the vinyl tile grout around the edges to allow the tiles to “float”. I intend to grout the edges because I can’t see how these tiles will “float” anyway since they’re stuck to the subfloor.

Before you begin to install the vinyl flooring, you will need to make sure that the subsurface is smooth and clean, as this will help to prevent tearing and dents to the vinyl material. With a concrete floor, you need to fill in any uneven areas or holes with a patching compound. You should mix the compound so that it has the consistency of mayonnaise, and then spread it evenly with a trowel before leaving it to harden.

My kitchen has been completely gutted. Is it OK to put appliances (including fridge, oven, etc.) and cabinets on top of these tiles, or am I supposed to put those in first and then do the tiles only where they would now be visible? Hopefully you are still monitoring these questions–I haven’t found this answer elsewhere.

I emptied my kitchen, put the tiles down, grouted, then waited 48 hours before I moved the appliances back in. I slid them on cardboard so I didn’t scratch the tiles. And they’ve been fine since the fall when I remodeled my kitchen.

I am getting ready to use this tile again in my house. One thing about this tile is it is made to grout, and it’s thicker than most other press and stick tile. You don’t have to grout this tile but you can, the installation is slightly different if you intend to grout. It’s a great product …

I was getting so many questions about LVT that I wrote an update post a few years ago. This should help with any questions you are having: http://www.jennaburger.com/2014/04/luxury-vinyl-tile-floor-update/ I don’t believe the brand and style are currently available anymore, but check your local Lowe’s. Also the tiles are 12 x 12.

Hi friend! 2 things… 1. Pinterest flagged this as a suspicious link, fyi. This was the PIN I used: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/157555686938413040/
2. I need to do adhesive/ vinyl tiles in our kitchen for budget and subfloor reasons… these tiles always seem so cheap to me when I see them in the store. Thoughts? Tips on quality/ durability?
xx

I have a question. Do you grout the entire floor and then sponge the haze? Or do both in small increments? I am almost finished removing the old single sheet linoleum from my kitchen and next week will be laying a vinyl tile pretty much identical to the one in this project. Thanks for the info, reassures me that I can do this without professional help.

You grout the floor with a grout float, THEN use a damp sponge to remove the haze. The have comes from the chalky finish of the the grout. Grout a small area, then go over it with the sponge to remove the grout from the tile surface. Then work on another small area, but you will have to go over the entire floor several times to remove the haze. It will look like it’s disappeared, but it still comes back. I hope this helps and good luck!

It looks like you did not level the floor before installation. ie the grout lines on existing floor would be lower than the tile. After some time and use; did the impression of the original grout lines show through? Just curious how long a project like this would last.

No I didn’t level the floor before installing the LVT. Yes the grout lines are lowers than the existing tile, but impressions in the original grout lines have NEVER been an issue. LVT is thicker than typical vinyl tile so there has not been an issue with the old grout lines showing through. Still loving our floor! I hope this helps!

I’m just about to start on a project with some groutable vinyl tiles. I feel pretty confident except I can’t seem to find any information on what to do at the edges of the room. I’ll be doing my bathroom and I have quarter round along the walls, but I’m unsure of what to do along the front and side of the cabinet in the bathroom. Do I grout right up to the cabinet? Or do I use caulk between the edge of the grout and the cabinet? Thanks so much!

Hi. I found this post after googling “laying sheet vinyl over ceramic tile”. I would love to know how well your vinyl tiles have held up to being placed directly on top of the original ceramic tiles. (My hubby seems to think that, over time, the vinyl will weaken or take on the impression of the original grout lines.) Your work looks lovely, by the way. ;)

Thanks for asking Miranda. My LVT is still hoping up GREAT! NO issues with weakening or impression of the original grout line. I’ve used LVT in various spaces in my home and others, and thankfully there has never been an issue. This post might be helpful for you: http://www.jennaburger.com/2014/04/luxury-vinyl-tile-floor-update/

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